Chlortetracycline ointment in prevention of perianal infection in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Objective To observe the effect of chlortetracycline ointment in the prevention of perianal infection in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Methods 120 patients who underwent HSCT at our department from March, 2018 to February, 2019 were enrolled in the study, and were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 60 cases in each group. The control group received routine perianal care; in addition, the observation group were perianally cleansed after bath and stool, and were varnished with chlortetracycline ointment. The incidences of perianal infection and the perianal conditions of the two groups after the treatment were compared. Results The incidence of perianal infection was significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (8.33% vs. 21.66%), with a statistical difference (P 0.05). The incidences of perianal swelling, affected defecation, and wound formation as well as the pain degree were better in the infected patients in the observation group than in those in the control group [20.0% vs. 53.85%, 20.0% vs. 46.15%, 0.0% vs. 23.08%, and (4.57±0.23) vs. (6.01±0.32); all P<0.05]. The incidence of perianal swelling and the pain degree were lower in the uninfected patients in the observation group than in those in the control group [3.64% vs. 14.89% and (2.32±0.12) vs. (3.21±0.11); both P<0.05]. Conclusion Chlortetracycline ointment can significantly reduce the incidence of perianal infection in patients undergoing HSCT, reduce the degree of perianal infection, and has a good preventive effect, so it is worthy of clinical reference. Key words: Chlortetracycline ointment; Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Perianal infection